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Trent's Fighting Airmobiles
For All Nails #107: Trent's Fighting Airmobiles by Dan McDonald The following are highlights and excerpts from the [[1974] Edition (published January, 1974) of Trent's Airmobile Guide. Thanks to Johnny Pez for the German company names and histories. Thanks to Noel Maurer for the Mexican company names and two of their histories.] ---- TRENT'S AIRMOBILE GUIDE First published in 1933 by Group Captain Sir Walter Trent, RCNAAF (ret.), FRNAMHS. 1974 edition Compiled and edited by Walter Trent, Jr., FRNAMHS, and Rachael Wright, FRNAMHS. Copyright © 1974, Trent's Publishing, PLC., 33 Centre St., Burgoyne, PA, NC, 8E3 24C FOREWORD Even in a War Without War, combatants still need armaments. And even without actual combat, the race to build better arms proceeds at a sometime alarming rate. The German Empire faces well-armed northern opponents from both the Kingdom of Scandinavia and Great Britain. The United States of Mexico and the Confederation of North America (the infamous "Scorpions in a Bottle") face each other along the North American continental divide. In the Pacific, Mexican interests square off against Australia, Japan, and the ever-enigmatic Kramer Associates (along with the strongly-allied Canton Pact). And if there's a world flashpoint currently, it's the Caribbean Sea, where no less than four of the world's major powers (the CNA, Great Britain, Germany, and the Kingdom of Scandinavia) and rising regional power New Granada compete for the scattering of islands along the way. The North Americans have already learned the hard way about their military preparedness thanks to the Boricuan Missile Crisis of the past year. 1974 may present more chances to view some of the aircraft detailed within in actual combat. The latest models to arrive from all of the major powers incrementally improve thrust and airframe capabilities over their previous generations. What's most striking in new aircraft is not what's on the outside, but what is within. Sophisticated electronics, with wafers taking over from bulbs and wires, enable an aircraft to not only do a single job, but to become a platform where multiple jobs can be done efficiently. We are already seeing this with larger airmobiles (witness the two distinct Confav Athena models for different sorts of detection), and perhaps smaller ones will follow suit. As with all editions of Trent's, our facts and figures come from non-classified sources, without recourse to any trickery or private spying. FN1 ---- :CONFEDERATION OF NORTH AMERICA CONFEDERATION AVIATION (CONFAV) Confederation Aviation rose from the ashes of the North American Airmobile Corporation. North American was one of the handful FN2 of CNA aviation pioneer companies. It folded in 1912, when owner Samuel Baker sold its assets to shipping heir Eldridge Dawes. Dawes originally meant to fold the airmobile assets into Dawes Marine. For ten years, this transition started to take place. Then, in 1929, when Whitney Forster's second seven-year mail contract ran out, Eldridge Dawes convinced his family to spin off the airmobile division of Dawes, so as to avoid accusations of monopolization. The new firm, Confederation Aviation, won the first of two consecutive seven-year contracts with its two-engined Heron transport. CONFAV CC-5 "Hercules" The Confav Hercules was the first CNA military cargo airmobile to be explicitly designed for military transport. It shares many parts with the Confav Meteor II commercial jetliner, but it was designed by a different team at Confav's Detroit centre. It can transport the equivalent of 200 troops, 150 fallscreen troops, 10 military-grade locomobiles, or 3 terramobiles. The Hercules entered RCNAAF service in 1967. Starting next year, the UE will be receiving a shipment of 50 Hercules airmobiles. Type: Heavy Transport Dimensions: Wing span: 188 ft. Length 203 ft. Tail height: 62 ft. Engines: Four National Union J-41 fan-blade turbojets Maximum speed: 0.8 pings FN3 Cruising speed: 0.7 pings Maximum altitude: 34000 ft. CONFAV CC-3, HA-2, ED-1, "Athena" The military's Athena is the same airframe as the civilian Pelican model. It has three variants working in the RCNAAF. The CC-7 is a cargo model, used to transport materiel, and up to 60 fallscreen troops. The HA-2 is a high-altitude electronic monitoring platform. The ED-1 is a prototype flying RES facility and electronic detection platform. The success of the ED-1 is rumored to be leading to an ED-2 based on either the CC-5 airframe, or the Confav Meteor II. The CC-3 variant has been in service since 1945, serving all over the CNA, and UE. The HA-2 has been in exclusive CNA service since 1960, and the ED-1 prototype was announced to the public in January, 1973. Type: Light Transport Dimensions: Wing span: 140 ft. Length: 154 ft. Tail Height 45 ft. Engines: Four Dickinson D-23 14-piston propellers Maximum speed: 0.5 pings Cruising speed: 0.45 pings Maximum altitude: 29000 ft. CONFAV/HAWKER AC-17 "Hummingbird" In 1970, during Grand Council budgetary talks, the subject of "Hummingbird/VTOL program" accidentally leaked to the public. Much speculation had the VTOL acronym expanding into Vertical TakeOff and Landing. Two years later, at Confav's Lloyd, Georgia facility, the wraps were revealed on what appeared to be a modern charger aircraft. The demonstrator started its engines, then floated off the ground to a height of 10 feet, before landing again. 30 minutes later, the craft rose again, this time moving forward, then proceeding to a level-flight speed, where it performed some basic maneuvers. While many details are still classified, the Hummingbird will be entering service in 1975, according to co-designers Confav and Hawker. Speculation points to a likely deployment aboard gyrocopter cruisers such as the HMNAS Superior FN4, and the HMS Trafalgar FN5, as a method to supplement traditional aircraft carriers. Type: Single-jet vertical-takeoff-and-landing charger Dimensions: Wing span: 25 ft (est.) Length: 35 ft (est.) Tail height: 14 ft. (est.) Engines: National Union or Rolls Royce. Details Classified. All other performance data is classified. FORSTER AIRMOBILE, PLC. Whitney Forster, a former carriage maker, was looking for new uses for a vulcazine engine of his own design. When informed of National Union's airmobile flights, Forster immediately traveled to Black Rock to demonstrate his lightweight vulcazine engine. Forster was so impressed with the airmobile design, he entered negotiations to build his own. After a year of trying, Forster licensed National Union's patents and opened his factory in Fort Henry. Forster produced some innovations, but like his contemporaries, he misjudged the market demand for heavier-than-air travel. Forster was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1913, and appealed to both the N.F.A. and private financiers for additional funding. When the CNA government announced a competition for Air Mail service in 1914, Forster convinced the Royal Bank of Detroit to float him a 5 million pound loan. A condition of this loan was to incorporate under Forster Airmobile Ltd., where RBD would be a 40% stakeholder. One year later, Forster won the Mail contract with its innovative Falcon design. Forster AC-12 "Sparrow" 1962 was a watershed year for military technology. The RCNAAF launched several airmobile programs in 1962, awarding a contract for Forster's designs for a combined charger/interceptor. The first flight of the Sparrow was in 1966, and the first squadron assigned to the 1st S.C. Gulf Squadron in January, 1968. The Sparrow is the CNA's premier charger. FN6 It launches from either land bases or Winfield Scott class carriers. The Sparrow can carry either heat-seaking air-to-air missiles for close combat charger engagements, or RES-guided air-to-air missiles for interception. The Sparrow started receiving new wafer-based RES packages from National Union. The fleet is expected to be fully upgraded by the end of 1974. Type: Single-seat twin-turbojet charger/interceptor Dimensions: Wing span: 44 ft Length: 65 ft Tail height: 19 ft. Engines: Two Dickinson D-40 post-thrust fan-blade turbojets Maximum speed: 1.8 Pings Cruising speed: 0.7 Pings Maximum altitude: 55000 ft Forster HA-4 "Icarus" One of the revelations from the Michigan City Spy Ring incident of 1969 was the existence of a small squadron of high-altitude reconnaissance craft. The following year, the RCNAAF acknowledged that the Forster HA-4 Icarus had been a reconnaissance asset in their inventory for 8 years. It is conjectured that the HA-4 is a highly modified Forster AC-8 frame with enlarged and straightened wings, and tuned for altitude instead of speed. The 1970 public introduction included some basic statistics, which are repeated here. Type: Single-seat turbojet reconnaissance Dimensions: Wing span: 107 ft Length: 60 ft Tail height: 17 ft Engine: Dickinson D-36 fan-blade turbojet Maximum speed: 0.7 Pings Cruising speed: 0.5 Pings Maximum altitude: 90000 ft. ---- :GERMAN EMPIRE FREITAG/BANNER, GMBH Thomas Edison may have been the first man to achieve heavier-than-air flight, but he was not the only man working on the problem. In the Germanic Confederation Edison's feat was independently duplicated by three different inventors between 1902 and 1905. The first was a Westphalian bicycle manufacturer named Augustus Banner, while the second was an eccentric Prussian nobleman named Kurt von Driesen. Von Driesen, insisting that Banner had stolen his design, kept him tied up in litigation for years. As a result, it was the third inventor, Manfred auf der Maur, who founded the first European aviation firm, Freitag Luftraden. Banner was eventually able to win out over von Driesen in court, but he could never regain the initiative from auf der Maur, and in 1919 sold his company's airmobile division to auf der Maur, creating Freitag/Banner GmbH. FREITAG/BANNER FB-422 (UE designation "Barbarian") The German Luftwehr's crowning achievement during the Global War was the perfection of long-range strategic bombing dogma. The symbol of this perfection is the still-active Freitag/Banner FB-422 bomber. A derivative of the highly-successful FB-412 "Bludger", the Barbarian first flew in 1945, and started dropping bombs 2 years later. While it saw little combat, squadrons of Barbarians flew over client-state capitols when fighting ceased. Barbarians are still used occasionally to quell uprisings in Palestine, Lebanon, and Arabia. Type: 4-engine heavy bomber Dimensions: Wing span: 125 ft. Length: 100 ft. Tail height: 40 ft. Engines: 4 Horsch PW-325 18-cylinder engines Maximum speed: 0.5 Pings Cruising speed: 0.43 Pings Maximum altitude: 40000 ft. FREITAG/BANNER FB-488 (UE designation "Bat") While the Barbarian helped Germany control most of Europe, it could not help it conquer the British Isles. As the War Without War began, both Germany and Britain refined their newly-developed jet aircraft designs. The FB-488, "Bat" was designed to be a counterpart to the Hawker GA-5 design. In reality, the FB-488 is a less-than-capable answer to Britain's "Lancer". Several accidents early in the deployment of the FB-488 earned it the dubious nickname "Witwemacher". Type: 2-engine jet forward attack airmobile Dimensions: Wing span: 55 ft. Length: 64 ft. Tail height: 20 ft. Engines: 2 BMW B-223 post-thrust turbojet engines Maximum speed: 1.7 Pings Cruising speed: 0.7 Pings Maximum altitude: 45000 ft. KLEMPERER FLUGWERKE, AG Walter Klemperer was a silk manufacturer in Hamburg who received a contract from the German government in 1873 to build a series of observation balloons for the army. The mishaps suffered by his balloons during the Franco-German War of 1878-1880 convinced Klemperer of the need to produce self-propelled lighter-than-air craft. By 1890 he had perfected the design for a "directed airship" and established Klemperer Flugwerke, AG. As advances in airmobile design grew apace, K.F. established an airmobile division in Bremerhaven in 1923. Over the next 15 years, K.F.'s airmobile division grew in importance until in 1938 the company's headquarters was relocated to Bremerhaven. In 1955 the airship division was phased out of existence. KLEMPERER KL-55 (UE designation "War Eagle") Especially during the Global War, Germany learned the significance of air superiority. One of the big reasons it could not succesfully land on any of the British Isles was that British airmobiles efficiently kept their local airspace under control. With the threat of the British bombing, the German Air Force (Luftwehr) deemed maintaining a secure sky to be second only to aiding ground forces. The firm of Klemperer Flugwerke has historically supplied aircraft for this role. Competition with English bomber designs has forced Klemperer to maintain arguably the world's best interceptor designs. Arriving nearly at the same time as its primary target - the British "Lancer", the KL-55 interceptor is second to none in its goal of early-detection and early-shootdown. As of this year, the entire German interceptor fleet has been upgraded to KL-55s. It carries 6 RES-guided missiles that have a rumored range of over 50 miles. It is also proficient in a charging role, but that is usually relegated to its teammate, the KL-52 "Skyhawk". Type: Twin-jet variable-geometry interceptor Dimensions: Wing span: 33 ft. swept, 64 ft. extended Length: 61 ft. Tail height: 17 ft. Engines: 2 BMW B-283 post-thrust fan-blade turbojet engines Maximum speed: 2.3 Pings Cruising speed: 0.9 Pings Maximum altitude: 50000 ft. KLEMPERER KL-52 (UE designation "Skyhawk") When fighting becomes close-ranged, the 12-year-old KL-52 "Skyhawk" takes over from its teammate, the KL-55. The KL-52 is a simple and elegant design, and like its predecessors, it is designed to be produced in large quantities. The Germans export this charger to allies and client states. Its design has been modified and repackaged as the Malverde F-28 for the United States. Type: Single-jet charger Dimensions: Wing span: 28 ft. Length: 40 ft. Tail height: 14 ft. Engines: 1 Horsch JW-100 post-thrust turbojet engine Maximum speed: 1.7 Pings Cruising speed: 0.8 Pings Maximum altitude: 49000 ft. KLEMPERER KL-61 Several pictures were leaked to United Empire newspapers last year showing what looks like a Mexican-style rocket-propelled airmobile. Given the cooperation between Klemperer and Mexico's Malverde Aviation, it is possible that Malverde is sharing some amount of X-craft design with Klemperer. All data Trent's has on this is pure speculation. Type: Rocket-powered high-altitude demonstrator Dimensions: Wing span: 25 ft. (est.) Length: 60 ft. (est.) Tail height: 30 ft. (est.) Engines: Unknown Maximum speed: 5.0 Pings (est.) Cruising speed: 5.0 Pings (est.) Maximum altitude: 125000 ft (est.) ---- :KRAMER ASSOCIATES/CANTON PACT WORLD AIRMOBILE World Airmobile is the aviation face of the Kramer Associates. Originally based on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, operations moved when the USM nationalized industries during the early years of the Mercator regime. World Airmobile now is based in Taiwan, and exports commercial and military airmobiles to the Kingdom of Scandinavia, the Canton Pact, and Japan. KRAMER KA-6 Jointly developed with Scandinavia's Saab, the KA-6 is the only active platform to exploit the delta wing. The KA-6 was first flown by the Canton Pact and Kramer Security forces shortly after the annoucement of the Kramer Bomb in 1962. The KA-6 has had several upgrades since its arrival, and it now features modern fan-blade turbojets and a Saab RAD-34 RES system. Type: 2-jet delta-wing Interceptor Dimensions: Wing span: 69 ft. Length: 75 ft. Tail height: 39 ft. Engines: 2 Kramer KAJ-6 post-thrust fan-blade turbojets Maximum speed: 2.2 Pings Cruising speed: 0.8 Pings Maximum altitude: 62000 ft. KRAMER KA-7 Because of the many South Pacific islands that house Kramer interests, it was determined that a very large cargo-carrying airmobile would be useful for Kramer business, as well as for customers looking for large transports. The KA-7 is the world's largest airmobile. It can carry 350 troops, 220 fallscreen troops, 15 military-grade locomobiles, or 4 terramobiles. It has been in service with the Canton Pact since 1966, and with Scandinavia since 1968. Type: Heavy Transport Dimensions: Wing span: 221 ft. Length: 220 ft. Tail height: 70 ft. Engines: 4 Kramer KAJ-6 fan-blade turbojets Maximum speed: 0.6 Pings (est.) Cruising speed: 0.5 Pings (est.) Maximum altitude: Unknown KRAMER KA-9 Last year, Mexican radar made contact with an object moving at nearly 3 Pings in the airspace near the island of Oahu. An interceptor was scrambled to attempt to shoot down the clearly foreign aircraft. The interceptor's cameras captured photographs of what appeared to be a larger KA-6 interceptor. The photographs were published in several Mexican newspapers, part of articles pointing to the continuing threat to Mexican interests by the Kramer Associates. Given the pilot reports of the craft being larger than an ordinary interceptor, it is conjectured that this is a different model aircraft. Since the KA-8 designation is reserved for an in-development passenger aircraft, the KA-9 designation is being used by analysts (including this publication) to identify a speculative reconaissance aircraft in use by either Kramer, or one of its large military customers. Type: 2-jet delta-winged reconaissance airmobile Dimensions: Wing span: 87 ft. (est.) Length: 92 ft. (est.) Tail height: 45 ft. (est.) Engines: Unknown Maximum speed: 3.5 Pings (est.) Cruising speed: 1.1 Pings (est.) Maximum altitude: 85000 ft. (est.) ---- :KINGDOM OF SCANDINAVIA SAAB AKTIEBOLAG While mostly obtaining its aviation technology from the Kramer Associates, the Kingdom of Scandinavia has one domestic producer of airmobiles -- Saab. Primarily a locomobile manufacturer, Saab has been producing passenger and cargo airmobiles since 1935. SAAB SF 220 Most of Scandinavia's air fields are actually Scandinavian roads. This allows takeoffs even when normal air fields are damaged by bombing. The Saab SF 220 is an innovative "turboprop" airmobile that combines jet thrust with a traditional propellor driven motor. This combination allows the SF 220 to take off on a very small runway, in keeping with Scandinavian strategy. The SF 220 has been in service for 20 years, and is also exported to the Canton Pact. Type: Medium cargo Dimensions: Wing span: 131 ft. Length: 100 ft. Tail height: 36 ft. Engines: 4 Saab SPJ-3 Turboprops Maximum speed: 0.5 Pings Cruising speed: 0.4 Pings Maximum altitude: 27000 ft. SAAB SF 320 In spite of the reliable service of the SF 220, its lack of speed can be a disadvantage. In 1971, Saab introduced a jet-propelled replacement for the SF 220, the SF 320. While its wingspan and length are identical to the SF 220, its has 33% more cargo capacity, and 50% more airspeed. Type: Medium cargo Dimensions: Wing span:130 ft. Length: 110 ft. Tail height: 36 ft. Engines: 4 Saab SJ-6 fan-bladed turbojets Maximum speed: 0.8 Pings Cruising speed: 0.6 Pings Maximum altitude: 37000 ft. ---- :UNITED EMPIRE HAWKER AVIATION, PLC Founded in 1919 by Sir Harry Hawker FN7, the father of Aviation in United Empire, Hawker aviation has produced some of the world's most important planes. Hawker's "Tornado" pounded German assaults on the British Isles, while Hawker "Hurricanes" kept the skies over Great Britain safe. HAWKER GA-5 "Lancer" Due to the four attempted invasions of the British Isles during the Global War, the United Empire has funded the development of technology to discourage such attacks in the future. The airborne thrust of this strategy is the low-flying and very fast Hawker GA-5 "Lancer". In 1969, to celebrate the 80th birthday of company founder Sir Harry Hawker, the RAF demonstrated its low-flying capabilities with a dramatic cliff-hugging flyby in Dover. After the flyby, the two GA-5s proceeded to sink the decommissioned battle cruiser the HMS Ark Royal with actual weapons load. This public display of the Lancer's precision was most likely calculated to discourage enemies of the Empire from attempting any more assaults on the home islands. Type: 2 jet ground attack Dimensions: Wing span: 44 ft. Length: 54 ft. Tail height: 20 ft. Engines: 2 Rolls-Royce RR-6 fan-bladed post-thrust turbojets Maximum speed: 2.2 Pings Cruising speed: 0.9 Pings Maximum altitude: 45000 ft. CONFAV/HAWKER AC-17 "Hummingbird" See the Confederation of North America section for details of this joint CNA/UE project. ---- :UNITED STATES OF MEXICO AEROMEXICO ESPACIAL Aeromexico Espacial is the nationalized remains of the Kramer Associates aerospace business in the USM. AEROMEXICO F-30 "Fuego" The F-30 program began in reaction to the arrival of both the Kramer bomb and the KA-6. A scant 2 years later Secretary Mercator witnessed a supersonic flyby of the first product of Mexico's nationalized aerospace industry. The F-30 is one of the world's fastest aircraft, able to easily pass twice the speed of sound. There are reports of the F-30's lack of maneuverability, and its dependency on its RES-guided missiles hitting targets from long range. Type: Single-seat twin-jet interceptor Dimensions: Wing span: 50 ft. Length: 62 ft. Tail height: 18 ft. Engines: 2 Aeromexico J-66 post-thrust turbojet engines. Maximum speed: 2.3 Pings Cruising speed: 0.8 Pings Maximum altitude: 64000 ft. AEROMEXICO C-12 "Ox" Like its F-30, Aeromexico's C-12 program was a response to a Kramer design, in this case the KA-7 transport. Unlike the F-30, Aeromexico chose more conservative design goals, and ended up producing what many experts argue is a better overall airmobile than the KA-7. The "Ox" has a unique pass-through loading system that allows cargo to enter either from in front of the airmobile (as in the KA-7), or from the rear as well. This allows the C-12 a flexibility in cargo configurations that compensates for its slightly smaller size. It can carry 310 troops, 200 fallscreen troops, 13 locomobiles or 3 terramobiles. Type: Heavy Transport Dimensions: Wing span: 210 ft. Length: 210 ft. Tail height: 65 ft. Engines: 4 Aeromexico J-74 fan-blade turbojets Maximum speed: 0.6 Pings (est.) Cruising speed: 0.5 Pings (est.) Maximum altitude: Unknown MALVERDE AVIATION Before the Global War, Malverde Engine Works of Cabo San Lucas, California, was an engine maker for Mexico's other airmobile manufacturers. When wartime production increased, Malverde took on assembly tasks as well. Being spared the brunt of nationalization, Malverde found itself in a position to design airmobiles, as well as manufacture them. The F-22 "Coyote" was Mexico's first jet charger, and Malverde's flagship product for many years. MALVERDE F-28 "Diablo" The F-28 is a descendant of the F-22 "Coyote", taking several technological advances from the German KL-52 design. When the War Department commissioned a light charger competition, Malverde's entry so impressed the military judges that they designated the F-28 the legendary "Diablo" -- after the wartime piston workhorse of the USAAC. Unlike the original Diablo, the F-28 also can be carrier-launched. The F-28 entered service with the USAAC in 1963, the USN in 1964, and has been exported to New Granada since 1967. It is designed for close combat, and its handling makes it the demonstration airmobile for the Jefferson Squadron precision flying team. Type: Single-jet charger Dimensions: Wing span: 27 ft. Length: 39 ft. Tail height: 14 ft. Engines: 1 Malverde J-7 post-thrust turbojet engine Maximum speed: 1.7 Pings Cruising speed: 0.8 Pings Maximum altitude: 49000 ft. MALVERDE X-12 The Malverde X-12 is the latest in a series of rocket-propelled airmobiles, commonly known as X-craft, produced by Malverde's Space Exploration division. Active since 1972, the X-12 promised performance in excess of any airmobile in the world. The X-12 set another record last year when Lt. Riggs Menchu took it past five times the speed of sound. The highly classified rocket motors (produced in-house) are rumored to be one of the final candidates for a platform that can reach orbital heights and speeds. Type: High-altitude and high-speed testbed Dimensions: Wing span: 40 ft. Length: 140 ft. Tail height: 40 ft. Engines: Two Malverde liquified gas rockets Maximum speed: 5.4 pings (estimate - 5.1 pings reported) Cruising speed: 5.4 pings (estimate - 5.1 pings reported) Maximum altitude: 150000 ft. RESNICK-MARTINEZ AIRMOBILE Gerald Resnick was Mexico's first aviation pioneer -- licensing German designs in 1909. In spite of several buyout attempts, Resnick stood firm in the face of two hostile takeover attempts by the Kramer Associates FN8. During the nationalization of the 1950s, Resnick's firm was merged with Martinez Airmobile -- a manufacturer of crop dusters and small pleasure airmobiles. RESNICK-MARTINEZ A-7 "Tomahawk" This carrier-launched airmobile dates back to the late 1950s, but continues to be a workhorse for the USN's carrier fleet. Its rugged and simple design, not unlike its teammate, the F-28, make the A-7 another export success. Besides New Granada, the German Kriegsmarine has a squadron of A-7s aboard its carrier the Graf Spee. Type: 1 jet ground attack Dimensions: Wing span: 40 ft. Length: 44 ft. Tail height: 13 ft. Engines: 1 Malverde J-6 turbojet engine Maximum speed: 0.8 Pings Cruising speed: 0.7 Pings Maximum altitude: 35000 ft. RESNICK-MARTINEZ C-9 "Pioneer", T-4 "Scout" Falling somewhere in function between the CNA's CC-3 and Scandinavia's SF 220, the Resnick-Martinez C-9 has been in service of the USM military since 1955. C-9s have been configured in almost every imaginable fashion: fallscreen platform, flying hospital, passenger transport, and even with a 5-inch gun for ground suppression. They are also exported to the German Empire and New Granada. In service since 1967, the T-4 variant carries ultra-sensitive SES equipment and torpedos for anti-submarine missions. T-4s fly in the Pacific around the Hawaiian islands, and recently T-4s have also been spotted on Caribbean patrols. Type: Medium cargo Dimensions: Wing span: 136 ft. Length: 134 ft. Tail height: 33 ft. Engines: 4 Malverde 16-piston propellors Maximum speed: 0.5 Pings Cruising speed: 0.4 Pings Maximum altitude: 30000 ft. ---- Forward to FAN #108: Wheelchair General. Forward to 15 January 1974: Water on the Brain. Return to For All Nails. Category:Miscellaneous